


Episode 10:  The Red Flag Fleet

by ibecxmebetter (the_consulting_criminal), MaryWisdom



Series: Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Rewrite [10]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Canon Rewrite, Chinese pirates, Gen, Hypnosis, Mentions of Bad British Behavior, Mind Control, Opium, Period-Typical Sexism, Pirates, Pirates v. Ninjas: The Debate, The East India Company, Virtual Season/Series, mentions of drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 17:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12085545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_consulting_criminal/pseuds/ibecxmebetter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryWisdom/pseuds/MaryWisdom
Summary: Constantine's compass directs everyone's favourite team of time-traveling misfits back in time to 1809 China, where pirates, the Chinese government, and the British East India Company are battling it out for control of the high seas.  But now the Legion, the Legends, and a certain Spear are involved, and things are about to get a lot more complicated.In which Jax becomes captain for an hour, Sara meets a fellow female captain, Amaya finds out the dirtier history of the British, and Ray learns to be himself.  Mostly.  But with swords.(Episode 10 of a full 22-episode rewrite of season 2 - the same broad story arc, but rewritten episodes.)





	1. The Red Flag Fleet

**PREVIOUSLY ON LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: scenes from Episodes 8 (compass, Queen Bee, Rip, Ray’s suit breaks), 9 (evil!Rip, theft of the spear pieces), 1 (Black Flash), and Mick’s “You’re not real!”-moment in Episode 6**

****COLD OPEN:**  
**

****SCENE: THE WAVERIDER'S FABRICATION ROOM** **

Amaya, Mick, Jax, Sara, and Stein are seated in a semicircle in the Waverider’s fabrication room. Jax and Sara are sharing a tub of popcorn, and Mick has a beer in one hand and a six-pack nearby. Jax has a can of coke. The lights are dimmed, save for a single row. It’s from the far side of this row that Ray emerges.

“Thank you all for coming!” Ray smiles broadly.

“Not like you gave us a choice, Haircut!” Mick grumbles.

“We don’t have anything better to do while Gideon tries to read the compass,” Sara points out.

Ray plows onward, unperturbed, “As you all know, the ATOM suit has, sadly, been damaged beyond repair--”

“May it rest in peace,” Jax interrupts and raises a toast with his coke.

Ray nods back at him with a wistful smile. “Anyway,” he claps his hands together in anticipation. “That means I need a new suit. Gideon and I have prepared a few options, and you all get to help me decide.”

The others’ expressions range from amused to not very impressed at all.

“Great.” Mick grumbles, taking a swig from his beer.

**CUT TO:**

Ray emerges in a skin-tight red bodysuit with a white cape rimmed in gold, which matches the sash-like belt and boots of the getup and the lightning bolt across his chest. He walks to the edge of the lights, hands on his hips. Sara snorts.

Amaya furrows her brow. “It’s a bit… much, don’t you think?”

Everyone nods in agreement.

Ray looks crestfallen as he turns around, mumbling under his breath. “--Just wanted a little _pizazz_ , is all….” He disappears back through the entryway he came from.

**CUT TO:**

Ray comes back out, this time in a new green and black bodysuit with a domino mask.

“So, I’m thinking, I could make this ring--” he begins cheerfully, but is interrupted by Stein.

“Special jewelry does not make you a superhero,” Stein says, rolling his eyes. “It will never work.” Amaya turns to glare and raise her brows at him, then glances pointedly down at her own necklace. Stein turns a bit red, but huffs. “That is totally _different._ ”

**CUT TO:**

Ray, now in a blue and gold ensemble, with a cowl and glasses, stands before the gathered group, who all look thoughtful.

GIDEON interrupts, voice wafting down from the speakers. “Doctor Palmer, I would advise against that particular outfit.”

“Why?” Ray asks.

“Suffice to say that Captain Hunter has had some… interesting experiences with someone wearing a similar outfit,” Gideon replies.

Everyone’s noses wrinkle in simultaneous revulsion, and Ray looks down at his costume in shock and all but sprints off to go change.

**CUT TO:**

Ray is, again, standing in front of the group, now in a black bodysuit with a bat insignia on his chest. He looks pleased with himself, until Jax speaks up.

“The Batman? Really? Man, you don’t want that. Let urban legends rest.”

“Urban legend? Speak for yourself,” Mick says with a slightly haunted look on his face. “I’m _never_ going back to Gotham City again.”

**CUT TO:**

Ray is standing before them all with his hands on his hips, in a blue bodysuit with red boots and a matching cape. The bodysuit has a distinctively-shaped hole in the chest, where his bare skin peeks through. The room is silent enough that you could hear a pin drop.

Jax speaks up first, expression scandalized and popcorn halfway to his mouth. “Wh-- no, man. Just… no.”

Sara stares with raised brows. “That’s a boob window.”

“It is?” Ray looks down at himself in surprise. “It does feel kind of empowering.”

Sara’s mouth claps open. “Wh-- I-- No, Ray.”

Ray is oblivious. “No, but see, I sort of made it look like a guy-version of Supergirl’s costume, but I obviously can’t use _her_ logo, so I thought maybe one of you had an idea what to put there--”

“NO, Ray!”

Ray is now visibly getting frustrated when they are interrupted by GIDEON.

“Captain Lance, I have managed to get a reading off the compass you retrieved from Mr. Constantine.”

The crew’s attention turns completely from Ray to Gideon, and Sara grins. “Finally. What does it say?”

“It seems to show that another piece of the spear can be traced to China in the year 1809. The area is well-known for pirate activity,” Gideon replies smoothly.

Ray’s face lights up again as he turns and looks up to Gideon’s speakers. “Pirates?! The real kind, who sail the seas and have swords and flintlock pistols?”

Jax gives Ray an amused look. “Is there any era you’re not excited about?”

Behind him, Mick pinches the bridge of his nose and groans. “Not you too.”

Ray purses his lips. “Not a big fan of the Great Depression.” He turns to Mick, visibly torn between surprise and defensiveness. ”Why aren’t _you_ excited about pirates, Mick? Pirates are cool! And you liked the ninjas well enough!”

Mick returns his glare. “Ninjas are _better_ , Haircut.”

Ray looks taken aback. “No, they’re not! Pirates get the cool outfits, and ships, and cannons, and--”

Their argument fades into background noise as the camera focuses on Stein, who is watching them the way one might watch a train crash. “I am surrounded by children.”

**INTRO SEQUENCE: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW AS VOICED OVER BY AMAYA**

"Time travel is real, and all of history is vulnerable to attack, which is why we must travel through time to keep anyone from damaging it. We are a team of outcasts and misfits. So please don't call us heroes. We're Legends."

**SCENE: WAVERIDER BRIDGE**

All of the Legends are gathered around the table in the little study room.

Gideon is projecting maps of the area on one of the screens on the wall. “My analysis of the data the compass provided shows that the spear piece has had quite the journey across the East China Sea. This strongly suggests that it is aboard a ship. The most likely candidate is the Yīngxióng, a pirate junk part of the Red Flag Fleet under Commander Ching Shih.”

Sara nods slowly, forming a plan in her head. She turns to her team. “Okay, listen, we need to make this as quick as possible. We all go into town, see if we can find this ship, grab the piece, and leave. Thawne and his friends are on our tail, we need to stay ahead.”

“How do we know they aren’t already here?” Jax asks.

“We don’t,” Sara sighs. “All the more reason to make this quick. We should find a tavern or something. If I know anything about pirates, it’s that they like to drink. And Lisa proved well enough that bars can be treasure troves of information, when she was here. That’s where most people will be, and that makes it our best chance at finding out where the ship is.”

Amaya looks doubtful. “You want us to go to a pirate tavern?!” She scoffs. Behind her, Ray slowly slips out of the room, unnoticed by the others. “We shouldn’t waste our time with the pirates. The British should have outposts here, that’s where we should go. They’ll have better resources to help us.”

“The British won’t be very popular around here,” Stein says. “We should lie low, try not to declare our allegiances so people will be more willing to talk to us.”

“Why would the British not be popular?” Amaya wants to know. “They’re here to help.”

“They really weren’t--” Jax begins to explain, but he is interrupted by the door opening.

Ray comes back through the door, with a pair of gloves and weapon sheaths on his wrists. **“** Look!” he says and presses a button. Three long claws slide out of the gloves between his main fingers’ knuckles. The claws almost cut Mick and Jax, who just barely dodge in time. “Whoops. Sorry! But look - I could use them for fighting, or climbing things, or--”

Sara walks around and carefully grabs his hand to look closer at the glove. “How are you gonna bend your wrist when they’re not out?”

Ray opens his mouth, but almost immediately closes it again. His smile falls. “Huh. Um… I could...”

Mick jolts when he hears a familiar voice behind him speak up. Len is leaning against the doorway. “What a surprise! Looks like the Boy Scout might not be quite as smart as he thinks.”

“Shut up,” Mick presses out through clenched teeth, but not quiet enough that the others miss it.

Ray looks hurt. “It was just an idea…” He walks away again to take off his gloves.

Sara, Jax, Stein, Amaya look at Mick in alternating expressions of irritation and concern.

**CUT TO: CHINESE FIELD**

Eobard, Damien Darhk, Rip Hunter, and Queen Bee arrive on a field in Eobard’s time sphere. As soon as it settles in time, they basically pour out of the tiny thing. A Chinese farmer watches them with his mouth open.

Darhk straightens his suit and takes a deep breath. “Ugh, if you keep bringing in people, we’ll have to talk about a bigger ride.”

“One more suitable for Damien’s ego,” Queen Bee comments drily while carefully brushing imaginary dust off her delicate cape. She notices the farmer staring at them. “What? Get lost!” she shouts at him. The farmer snaps his mouth shut and hurries away, almost stumbling over his own legs.

Darhk watches her, tilting his head. “Aren’t you gonna…?” He makes a vague gesture to signal brainwashing.

She scoffs. “Why? He’s a moronic farmer! I’m not wasting my powers on that!”

“If you two could focus, we _are_ here for a reason,” Eobard calls them to attention. “The Legends may well already be here.”

“ _Legends_ ,” Rip repeats the word in a disdainful tone. “What was I thinking!”

Queen Bee ignores him and crosses her arms. “I don’t understand why you’re so scared of those idiots. We can take them.”

“I’m not _scared_ of them,” Eobard huffs. “They’re just inconvenient. A nuisance, not a threat. But a nuisance that nevertheless is beginning to pose a problem.”

“Yes, well, it’s a problem that might be better mitigated if you were actually _involved_ , Eobard,” Darhk says.

Eobard straightens up and stares at him. “If there’s something you’re trying to say, _Damien_ , spit it out.”

Queen Bee steps up beside Darhk. “You keep running off on us, Thawne. Disappearing for the action and showing back up at the end, either to take part in the spoils or tell us off because your _nuisances_ got in our way. If you’re going to be bossing us around, it’d be nice to at least see you trying to take some of the heavy lifting.”

Eobard’s expression darkens. “Might I remind you that you’re here because of _my_ tech?”

Darhk grins, sharklike. “Stolen, I’ve gathered, from our friend Rip, here. I’m beginning to wonder what exactly it is that we need _you_ for, Thawne, if we have him.”

“Yes, we hardly need another time traveller now, especially one so _demanding_ , if you’re not going to play nice with the rest of the team,” Queen Bee agrees.

Within the blink of an eye, Eobard speeds over to Queen Bee, hand vibrating mere inches above her chest. “I’m not just a time traveller. If _anyone’s_ useless, it’s you lot. I’m the one who knows what we need. I can time travel, and I can fight.”

Queen Bee holds his gaze stubbornly. “But you can’t fight everything, can you, Eobard?”

Eobard opens his mouth to respond when the band around his wrist starts to beep urgently. Eobard curses under his breath, backing off of Queen Bee. “That fast?” he mutters under his breath, though it’s not missed by Queen Bee and Darhk.

Darhk rolls his eyes. “The Black Flash? _Again?_ You still haven’t found a more permanent way to get rid of that thing?!”

“I’m working on it,” Eobard hisses. “You know what you’re here for. Find the spear piece. I have more pressing matters to deal with.” With that, he runs off.

“Great.” Darhk throws up his arms in frustration. “What now?”

Rip, who has been silent throughout the argument, finally speaks up, spotting signs of civilization in the distance. “Now, we find some friends.” He heads off; Darhk and Queen Bee exchange a long-suffering glance, but follow.

**CUT TO: STREET**

The Legends are pushing their way through the streets of a Chinese port, crowded with traders and sailors, most of them dressed in location- and period-appropriate clothing. Ray, however, is wearing more Hollywood-style pirate gear with a large hat with an even larger feather, and trying unsuccessfully to talk in a ‘pirate accent’ as he argues with Mick.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Mick asks. “You look like some lower budget Captain Blood rip-off.”

Ray does not see the problem. “What? It shows off that I’m a scoundrel who doesn’t care for rules! Argh!” Mick gives him a look to end all looks. “I might even make it my permanent superhero costume - if Rip got to be a cowboy, I can be a pirate.”

“The way it looks right now, Rip’s maybe not the best person to model yourself after,” Mick says. “Why’d you want to be a pirate anyway?”

Ray shrugs as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “Pirates get cool weapons, savvy?”

Mick becomes indignant at that. “We went to Japan. Didn’t you see the katanas? The kusarigamas?”

“They didn’t have cannons,” Ray argues. “Or flintlock pistols!”

“Yes, they did!” Mick says. Beside him, Len nods in agreement. As one, they say, “Gunpowder’s been around for over a thousand years, you idiot!”

“Oh,” Ray says, but his enthusiastic grin returns after only a short moment. “Well, they didn’t do it with the same flair. And besides, Mick, you are basically a pirate! You steal things, you use brute force, you don’t go running around across rooftops killing your enemies!”

Mick smirks. “You don’t know all my hobbies, Haircut.”

The camera pans to Amaya, Stein, and Sara, mumblings of the argument still audible in the background.

“We shouldn’t be going to a tavern, we should be looking for a British ship or station,” Amaya says. “They’ll be better able to help us, and probably a lot more willing.”

“It’s not that simple,” Sara says.

Amaya frowns. “Why not?”

“The British didn’t come here to help the Chinese, Amaya.,” Stein tries to explain. “They came for money.”

“So? A lot of people do. That doesn’t mean they can’t help.” Amaya replies.

Sara shakes her head. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

Just then, they arrive at the tavern. Stein and Sara look relieved to have a chance to escape the conversation. The Legends set up in a far corner of the tavern. Ray’s muffled voice continues arguing with Mick about pirates, while Sara and Jax mingle, trying to gather information about the Yīngxióng.

“You know, pirates actually….” Ray says, but Mick has stopped listening. He is distracted by Len, who is leaning against the wall behind Ray, and is clearly in a bad mood.

“And I thought _I_ liked pirates,” Len drawls, and points at Ray. “Boy Scout here is obsessed. He thinks he’s so _smart_ , just listen to him. ‘ _Did you know_ **this** _, did you know_ **that**?’ C’mon, Mick, put him in his place.”

Mick rubs his temple. “I need a drink.” He rises and starts making his way over to the bar to obtain one.

Len will not be ignored. He pushes himself off the wall and walks with Mick. “Haven’t had enough yet?” he baits. “Don’t let him treat you like you’re slower than he is. Or have you started liking it? Is that it? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

Mick finally loses his patience. “SHUT UP!”

A passing pirate thinks Mick means him. “What did you just say?!”

Mick attempts to press past him. “Back off.”

The pirate grabs Mick by the collar of his loose shirt and slams him against the nearest wall. Mick throws a punch back, and things only escalate from there. The pirate’s friends jump in to help.

Jax sees what is happening, rolls his eyes, and tries to get between them. “Listen, guys, I’m sure this is all some sort of misunderstanding…” Before he can finish, he gets punched as well. All the Legends jump in as a brawl breaks out. Sara knocks a pirate over the head with a bottle. Amaya pushes another one over the bar. Stein just barely dodges a punch and in return trips a pirate who is coming for Jax. Ray exaggerates his steps into something close to a drunken dance, but his punches keep missing as a result. The brawl goes on for several minutes before a voice rings out across the tavern.

“What the _hell_ is going on here?” a long-haired Chinese man in his mid-twenties shouts.

Everyone freezes. The pirates step away, leaving the Legends in the spotlight.

The pirate straightens. “Disrespect, Captain Pao, sir. From him,” he says and points at Mick, who is wiping blood off his chin.

Jax steps in front of Mick. “Listen, man, he didn’t mean to--”

Pao is having none of it. “Disrespect to my crew will not be tolerated. What’s your name?”

Jax is caught by surprise and stutters, “Ja...ck. Sparrow.”

“ _Captain_ Jack Sparrow!” Sara, Ray, Mick and Len correct him without thinking.

Jax’s eyes go wide. Pao looks him up and down.

Pao huffs, amused. “Very well.” He turns to his men. “Cuff Captain Sparrow and his crew and bring them with us. There will no doubt be use for them.”

**CUT TO: STREETS OF CHINESE VILLAGE**

Darhk, Queen Bee and Rip have managed to acquire period appropriate clothes/uniforms of officers of the British Royal Navy and are walking down a similarly crowded street like the one the Legends found themselves on before. People tend to make a wide berth around them, however.

“I don’t like it,” Darhk says with a sneer.

“Don’t like what?” Queen Bee asks and frowns at the people around her in disgust.

“For the man in charge, Thawne certainly doesn’t seem to be taking much of a personal risk here to get the Spear,” Darhk replies.

Queen Bee looks thoughtful. “He is ‘outrunning his own non-existence,’ or so he’s said.”

“Yes, and running _when_ , exactly?” Darhk points out. “He’s from the future, and I don’t know how much of the past he’s messed with, but it seems to me that short of the very distant future, he’s running out of times to run to and still stay within reasonable… distance, let’s say, of us.”

“What are you saying?” Queen Bee asks, looking thoughtful.

Darhk looks at her pointedly. “I think we may well be on board a sinking ship, as it were.”

Queen Bee’s eyes glint in understanding. “So, Thawne needs the Spear pieces, and he’s on a timetable. He can’t look for the pieces himself, because he’s too busy running from this so-called Black Flash. He does need us, regardless of what he says. So why is it, exactly, we’re letting him boss us around like lackeys?”

Darhk smiles. “My thoughts _exactly_ . I think when we run into him again, we need to have a little _chat._ ”

**CUT TO: HOLD OF A CHINESE PIRATE JUNK**

All the Legends have been put into one, large cell together, save for Jax, who is in a separate one of equal size all by himself.

Jax throws his hands up. “Great job back there!” he shouts sarcastically. “I was hoping not to get locked up again until after my 21st birthday!”

Sara frowns. “...wait, why are _you_ chewing everyone out? Not that I disagree…”

Jax steps close to the bars separating their cells and holds onto one as he leans towards his team and lowers his voice. “Y’all made me _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, so I figure I better sell the part.” He eyes the guard outside their cells. “I don’t wanna know what they’ll do to all of us when they find out I’m not the one in charge.”

Sara loosely crosses her arms. “Well, you’re not.” She turns her attention to Mick. “But seriously, what the hell was going on back there? I love a good tavern brawl as much as the next person, but we came here to gather information, not start the pirate equivalent of a Tong War.”

Mick avoids her gaze. “Haircut was getting on my nerves.”

“And?” Sara prompts him to continue.

“Not my fault pirates are touchy.” Mick shrugs. “Ninjas wouldn’t be.”

Stein raises his voice over Ray and Mick starting up their argument again, “Is two minutes of peace too much to ask?!”

“Hey! All of you!” Amaya shouts. “Get it together. Not the time or the place.”

“Indeed, it is not.” They all turn to see Pao descend the stairs; he is followed by a female pirate in her early thirties. She has piercing eyes, but stays in the background behind Pao, observing.

Jax approaches the outer cell bars. “Listen, this is all a misunderstanding…”

Pao remains stone-faced. “Enlighten me.”

Jax begins to explain, “My crewman here was arguing with another of my crew and it got a bit out of hand. He was drunk, not thinking clearly--” Behind him, Mick presses his lips together, but says nothing.

But Pao is unimpressed. “And that excuses disrespect where you are from, does it?” he sneers.

Jax raises his hands helplessly. “Hey, man, he didn’t disrespect any of your crew--like I said, the argument was with one of my crew, yours just got in the way--”

“I see,” Pao says in mocked surprise, “so it’s _my_ first mate’s fault that yours punched him, is it?”

“He started it!” Mick argues.

Pao’s eyes never leave Jax. “That’s not what my men say.”

Jax sighs in exasperation. “Of course it’s not what your men say, they don’t want to look bad.”

One of Pao’s eyebrows shoots up. “Are you calling my crew liars?”

Jax’s eyes go wide. “No!” he stutters. “Well, I mean, yes, but--”

“Enough!” the female pirate calls out. From one moment to the other, her entire posture has shifted; she now carries herself with almost tangible authority. Immediately everyone falls silent. She glances at Pao. “It might help if you addressed their Captain.” Her eyes find Sara and she smirks.

After a short moment of surprise, Sara smirks back. “How did you know?”

The pirate smiles thinly. “Much of the world is still afraid of women in power. They feel threatened by us and feel forced to do stupid things. When necessary, I also let my husband-” she gracefully gestures at Pao, who has stepped aside to make room for her- “pretend to be the one in charge, but my people know who holds the real power. As do yours--even as your alleged Captain was talking, they all looked to you.”

Sara takes the place at the front of the cell as everyone else falls back, even Jax in his separate cell. “You seem to be a very smart woman, Captain…?”

“I am Madame Ching.” The name rings out through the brig, as the Legends remember whose ship they are looking for. “And you are?”

“Captain Sara Lance,” Sara says and nods her head briefly.

Ching returns her courtesy nod, then asks, “Why are you here, Captain Lance?”

Sara weighs her options briefly, and then begins to explain, “We are seeking a certain object we were informed could be found here. We did not mean to disrupt your operations.”

“And the tavern?” Ching asks.

“A mistake, on the part of my crew,” Sara admits. “I will see to it that they’re punished accordingly.” She throws a pointed glare at Mick, who looks away after a short second.

Almost immediately, Len leans onto Mick’s shoulder and startles him. “My, my. She’s really growing into this leadership position. I wonder why we ever bothered with Rip at all.” Mick shrugs awkwardly to get Len off his shoulder and grimaces, but says nothing.

Ching nods, shooting a glare at Mick as well before turning her attention to Sara. “You had better. This behaviour is not tolerated in our realm. Now, what is this object you are looking for, and why is it so important to the British?”

Sara shakes her head. “We are not with the British, Madame Ching. Actually, we are trying to keep it out of the hands of the British.”

Ching looks at her curiously. “If you are not working for the British, and you are not Chinese, where _do_ your allegiances lie?”

“With each other, and our families back home,” Sara says. “They are in danger, we’re just trying to keep them safe.”

“That does not mean you are on our side,” Ching points out. “But let’s say I believe you: what are you looking for?”

“We have information that you have an object on one of your ships,” Sara explains. “It is of no value to you, nothing more than a piece of wood from a broken spear, but we have to keep the British from getting it. One of our former compatriots has unfortunately switched sides and they’ll soon know to look for it, so time is of the essence. The object should be on board the Yīngxióng.”

Although she was listening attentively at first, Ching turns away upon hearing the name of her ship. “I cannot give this thing to you,” she says.

“Madame Ching,” Sara urges her, “it could have catastrophic effects for you and your people should the British ever get it.”

Ching turns back to look at her, her eyes piercing. “Even if I wanted to, I still couldn’t help you. The Yīngxióng was captured by the British a week ago.”

“So steal it back.” Mick shrugs.

“The outpost they keep our captured ships and people at is heavily fortified.” Ching gives him a condescending look. “Even if I sent my whole fleet, it would still be madness. Believe me, if we stood any chance, I would have already ordered my men to attack. The Yīngxióng is a fine ship, with many fine people among her crew.”

Ray’s face lights up when he has an idea. “We can help! We have weapons!” Ching looks him up and down and wrinkles her nose at his outfit.

“He’s right,” Sara says. “We have weapons more powerful than either you or the British. If you free us and let us have the spear piece, we promise we will get you back your ship and your crew.”

Ching considers what they offer for a long moment. Finally, she nods. “Very well. I’ll set you free - under one condition: your second in command-” she points at Jax- “remains here to guarantee your return.”

“With all due respect, Madame Ching, we need him to ensure our mission is successful,” Stein argues.

Ching remains unmoved. “He stays, or all of you stay. Your choice.”

Sara weighs their options and quickly sees what she has to do. She shoots Jax a questioning glance. “You gonna be okay?”

Jax clenches his teeth, but nods. “Yeah, I’ll be good.”

Sara looks back to Ching. “Fine.”

Ching signals Pao to unlock their cell. Sara turns to Jax. “We’ll come back for you as soon as we get some better weapons from the Waverider. Try not to get into trouble.”

Jax throws up his arms. “Hey, I’m not the one you need to worry about!”

“Sure thing, _Captain Sparrow_!” Sara says as she and the others follow Ching up the stairs. “Let’s hope Thawne and his buddies haven’t found the piece yet.”

**CUT TO: HOME OF HIGH RANKING OFFICER OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY**

Rip, Darhk and Queen Bee are standing in a fancy living room with obvious European influences. With them is a commodore from the East India Company, who is clearly under the influence of Queen Bee’s powers as her amulet glows with honey-golden light.

Darhk leans in close to speak to the man. “Now that we’ve assured your allegiance, Commodore Beckett, tell me - where do you keep your captured ships?”

**CUT TO: WAVERIDER INTERIOR**

Sara, Stein, and Amaya are gathered around the table in the study, the latter two half-glaring at their Captain.

“Leaving Jefferson like that was irresponsible!” Stein scolds her. “They’re pirates, who knows what they could be doing to him?”

“Jax is not a kid anymore, Professor, he can handle himself,” Sara replies. “And they’ll be treating him responsibly. He’ll be perfectly fine when we go to pick him up.”

Amaya eyes her doubtfully. “How do you know? You just met them, and suddenly you trust them with Jax’s life? Why?”

“ _Because_ ,” Sara says, “you don’t hurt collateral guaranteeing an ally. A hostage, maybe, but that’s not what he is. They’re making no demands, they’re making sure we don’t attack them. Hurting Jax will provoke us and they know it. They’re pirates, but that woman was smart enough to know what she can get away with.”

“Even if that’s the case, we need Jefferson,” Stein insists.

“And we will get him back when we go back to the ship,” Sara says placatingly.

“I don’t think we should use Firestorm at all,” Amaya says. “Who knows what ideas we might give the pirates by using our weaponry in this time?”

“That’s a risk we always have to take, Amaya,” Sara replies. “The timeline has survived so far. At worst, it turns into another angel sighting.”

“We’re pushing our luck,” Amaya insists. “One of these days, our tech is going to fall into the wrong hands. You already gave Thawne and his friends part of the Spear--imagine if a pirate got a hold of the heat gun.”

“They couldn’t reproduce it,” Sara argues.

“They could still do damage,” Stein retorts and adjusts his glasses. “We are getting reckless, Ms. Lance.”

Sara holds his gaze. “ _We_ are doing what we have to do, Professor. I made a mistake with the Spear, but we _will_ do what we have to do to keep it out of Thawne’s hands again. The last time I hesitated making a decision, Thawne got Rip and turned him against us. I have to be more assertive if we don’t want anything like that happening again.”

**CUT TO: WAVERIDER CORRIDOR**

Ray walks down the corridor, dressed in a blue body suit with yellow bugeye glasses, sulking. He passes by Mick’s room, where Mick is just getting his heat gun out of a metal storage box. Mick looks up and does a double take.

“The hell you wearing, Haircut?!” he asks.

Ray stops and lets himself fall against the doorframe. “Turns out real pirates have way more rules than I thought. History really glosses over that fact!”

Off to the side, Len, half-lounging on Mick’s desk, smirks and shakes his head. He briefly turns to the rat cage beside him, where Mick’s pet seems equally unimpressed.

Mick is still staring at Ray’s new outfit. “And now you’d rather be a… blue… bug?” Once more, he looks Ray up and down. “Not your color, Haircut.”

Ray sighs. “That’s what Sara said too. I just really miss my suit. I know it’s stupid, but without it I feel so… alone. Like when I was stuck in the cretaceous period.”

Mick glances over at Len. Quietly, he says, “It’s not stupid to miss something that made you happy.” They share a short, sad glance, before Mick returns his attention to Ray. “How about you forget about the stupid color for now, and see if the bug-thing works for you?” Mick finally suggests.

“Oh, I’d love to!” Ray says. “But the technology for this suit isn’t anywhere close to finished anyway, and it definitely won’t be in time to commandeer a pirate junk from the British. I was just trying it out. We need weapons we can use _now_.” His gaze wanders to a second metal storage box in Mick’s room. He pauses, considers. “Maybe there is a way to make us both feel better about what we’re missing…”

Mick follows Ray’s gaze. “No,” he immediately says. “No no no no no. _No_.”

Len looks entertained. “Ooh, no, I think the Boy Scout is finally getting the right idea - you’ve got to be a scoundrel, a bad egg, a rogue. Because being a hero just gets you killed.”

“He-- you don’t even know how to use it, Haircut!” Mick argues.

Len’s eyes glint. “Well, that’s half the _fun_ , isn’t it, Mick?” he says. “Besides, he’s a _genius_ , remember? He’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”

Ray shrugs. “It’s a gun, Mick, all you have to do is point and shoot. Right?”

Mick stares at him. “...Right.”

Beside him, Len smirks, but it’s weirdly hollow. “Oh, this is gonna be _hilarious._ ”

**CUT TO: DECK OF CHING’S SHIP**

Sara, Stein, Ray, Amaya and Mick have returned and boarded the ship to get Jax back. Ray is now dressed in a simpler, mostly black pirate costume save for the cold gun at his hip. Ching is waiting on deck for them with a handcuffed Jax by her side. Her crew watch curiously from around the ship. Pao tries to assert dominance by blocking the Legends’ path, but Ching signals him to let them through.

“Back so soon?” Ching asks, her voice ringing out across the deck. “I haven’t heard the British scream out in pain yet.”

Sara steps out in front of her crew. “We’ll need our crewmember for this mission. He is essential. You have my word that we will get you your ship back and free your men.”

Ching musters them curiously. “Where are those weapons you talked about?” Upon spotting the Cold Gun and the Heat Gun she comments, “Those guns hardly look impressive enough to take on even a single ship of the East India Company.” Mick, Ray and Len look insulted.

Sara just barely suppresses a smirk. “I can assure you, together with the weapons you cannot see, they are more than enough.”

“That is a lot of trust you ask from me, Captain Lance.” Ching purses her lips. “Much more than I am willing to give you. Therefore, I am adding a second condition to the safe return of your First Mate: he can come with you to steal back our ship, but I shall join you as well.”

The Legends look at each other, alarmed because they all still remember Gideon warning against people witnessing their powers when they visited the Vikings, except for Sara, who attempts to stare down Ching. Finally, both women smirk.

“As you wish,” Sara says. “But just you. Any more people are bound to attract attention.”

“Of course,” Ching agrees.

“No!” Pao objects.

Ching shoots him a sharp glance that shuts him down immediately. “I have proven time and time again that I am more than capable of handling myself, Pao, my dear. You have the command until I return.” She uncuffs Jax and steps down to join the Legends with him.

“Do they ever change?” Sara asks Ching quietly.

Ching huffs a laugh. “You tell me.”

**CUT TO: STREET NEAR DOCKS**

Aerial view of the port, and it shows Ching’s ship docking on one side of a little spit of land, and the British outpost on the other, both well out of sight of each other. Camera moves into a street nearer Ching’s ship. The Legends and Ching are walking; Ray and Mick are arguing again, and Amaya and Ching are in conversation together near the back of the group, while the others are walking a bit ahead.

“Where were you stolen from, my dear?” Ching asks Amaya.

Amaya looks at her, confused. “Zambezi, but I was not stolen.”

Ching nods in understanding. “Ah. The British have owned your country for quite a while now. I suppose they did not have to.”

Amaya is silent for a few moments before speaking again. “Why do you hate the British so much?”

Ching looks at her for a long time. “Why don’t you?”

**CUT TO: RAY AND MICK AND JAX**

Mick is walking silently, when suddenly Len peeks over his shoulder. “Do me a favor,” he says, “ask the kid how he feels now that he’s a jailbird like us.”

“Pirate prison doesn’t count,” Mick mumbles, but Jax hears him.

“What did you say, Mick?” he asks.

“Uh, pirate prison - what was it like?” Mick says.

Jax shrugs. “It was alright. Ended up playing dice against some of the guards. I lost my sword to them, but they were cool.” He frowns. “I thought you didn’t like pirates?”

Ray looks both irritated and confused, having listened in on their conversation. “Why do you not like pirates as much? You really are basically one--you steal from people, you like destroying things, you have a crew. What’s wrong with pirates? Is it because they’ve got a code?”

“We had a code, too,” Mick says dismissively. “Need one, really, if you’re gonna keep a crew in line.”

“So what is it, then?”

“You wanna know the truth?” Mick asks irritated. “Snart made me watch more pirate flicks than anybody needs to see in their whole life! They’re ridiculous!”

Ray’s mouth falls open. “Wait a second. Earlier, when you said ‘not you too --’”

“I meant Snart.” Mick smiles wryly as his partner appears on Ray’s other side. The nearby Legends go quiet as Mick continues. “The idiot had an entire collection of _Tales from the Black Freighter_ comics. He even _paid_ for some of them.” He seems distracted by something the others can’t see, as he smiles back at a grinning Len, but before anyone can say anything, Ching steps ahead and points Sara and the others through a door to one of the houses.

“Through here,” she says. “One of my contacts can get us inside the Outpost. Unfortunately, he likes to spend most of his time in this establishment.”

Amaya frowns. “What _is_ this place…” She trails off when she realizes they just stepped into an opium den. The large room is practically crammed with people, strewn out on cots or the floor, or laid out in chairs, all with the same, glassy sort of expression in their eyes.

Ching looks at her, her face bitter. “You wanted to know what your British have done to China? Look.”

“This is what we were trying to tell you about, earlier,” Jax says softly.

Amaya stares at the scene around her. “Wh-- how? Why?”

Ching sneers. “Why do the British do anything? Money. They did not like that they were not making money trading with China, so they drugged up an entire generation in hopes of making them too slow to realize they were being taken advantage of. The emperor outlawed opium years ago, but it hasn’t done much. The British are still smuggling it in.”

“Why doesn’t he stop it?” Amaya asks.

Ching laughs drily. “You seem to know a lot about the British. Tell me: would _you_ like to go up against the East India Company? He can’t even fight off us pirates, and you expect him to stop the _British_? No.”

Amaya watches as Mick bumps into the legs of a young, dazed man, who does not even notice. “Why don’t _you_ stop it, then?”

“I have other concerns,” Ching says and continues making her way through the drugged up bodies, “like ensuring all of my ships and crews are taken care of. It is no business of mine whether the people ashore want to run their lives aground. It is not my responsibility to protect all of China from their own mistakes.”

“But they’re your _people_ ,” Amaya says in sheer disbelief.

Ching turns to shoot her a sharp glance. “ _My people_ are on my ships. I owe these people _nothing_ . When I was a girl, these very same people would have _used_ me without batting an eye. I have done what is necessary to earn their respect, their fear, instead of their sneers, and I will not jeopardize what I have built for the sake of protecting those who would never do the same. Your Captain said earlier that your allegiances were to those you care for, not to your countries. So is mine.” They finish making their way through the den to the stairs, and Ching leads them up, and knocks on the door at the top.

A man behind the door calls out, “Who is it?”

“An old friend,” Ching answers.

They can hear scrabbling at the door before it opens. When it does, a slight man is looking up at all of the people gathered outside, eyes still somewhat glassy but less so than the people downstairs. He steps aside.

“Please, please, come in!” he says. “Pardon the mess, we’ve been very busy.”

The room is practically covered in paper. The Legends all look at each other before kinda just huddling in a spot in the room that seems mostly barren. Ching doesn’t seem to mind; she walks over to his desk, and leans against it while the man flits around.

“It’s been a long time, Madam Ching,” he says. “What can I do for you?”

“We need into the outpost,” Ching says, running her fingers across a stack of paper next to her.

The man pauses. “You? Into the outpost? Why?”

“One of my ships was confiscated,” Ching explains, “and has a very important piece of cargo on it that I need back.”

“All respect, Madam Ching,” he says, “but I think perhaps it might be better to simply bribe an officer into passing you what you need. Going inside is a suicide mission.”

Ching smiles at him drily. “Thank you for your concern, but I have it handled. Just tell me how to get inside.”

The man wets his lips. “Madam, I cannot, in good conscience--”

“I am not asking your permission,” Ching says, her voice suddenly cold, her face hard. “You _will_ tell me.”

He pales a bit. “Of course, of course. I did not mean--”

Ching fixes him with her gaze. “Of course you didn’t.”

Sara raises an eyebrow, amused.

The man swallows. “Right. Ah, let me see…” He rifles through some of his papers. “Here we are! Yes.” He hands Ching some crumpled papers from between a pile of more crumpled papers. “There is a map, to get to the correct entrance, and a paper that you can give the guard that will allow you inside. That being said, Madam, you are very recognizable to the Company’s men, and if they see you, those papers will not protect you from their bullets. And this… crew, you have with you, will likewise draw attention. Whatever it is you need, I suggest keeping your extraction team as small and unnoticeable as possible, and moving very, very quickly. The longer you linger, the more likely you’ll be seen.”

Ching tucks away the papers. “Thank you.” She produces a few coins from her belt and gives them to the man, who accepts them swiftly.

“Of course, Madam,” he says. “Best of luck.”

“We’ll need it,” Mick mumbles.

**CUT TO: BRITISH OUTPOST**

Sara, Stein, Ray, and Mick are now dressed in appropriate clothes--Sara in the English women’s fashion of the time, and Stein and Ray and Mick in the uniforms of a British officer and soldiers, respectively. Amaya, Jax, and Ching are bundled into a cart, atop of which there is piled a lot of uniforms.

Ray flashes the necessary paperwork and a bright smile. “Authorization for a shipment of uniforms.”

“How many, sir?” the guard asks as he studies their papers.

“48,” Mick says.

The guard frowns. “I didn’t know we were supposed to be getting a shipment this month.”

Ray lowers his voice and glances at Stein. “Yes, well, you know how the higher-ups are. Can’t be bothered to tell us anything.”

The guard remains skeptical. “Mind if I check?”

Ray looks concerned, but Mick does not hesitate to step aside. “Go ahead,” he says.

The man starts picking through the uniforms on top. Amaya, Ching, and Jax hold very, very still, clamping their hands over their mouths to muffle their breathing. The guard is about to lift up the tarp they’re all huddled under when Sara speaks up.

“Ugh, this is taking so _long_ ,” she groans. “You said we’d be inside quickly.” She looks over at Stein, the picture of an officer’s spoiled young arm candy.

“I know, dear,” Stein says. He glares at the man witheringly. “Are you quite satisfied? We have places to be, _boy_. Don’t make me explain to the other officers that we are twenty minutes late because of a particularly dense guard at the gate.”

“No, no, sir,” the guard blusters. “I’m very sorry, sir. Just taking precautions. Go right through.” The gate opens, and they drive through and find an isolated area of the outpost. Jax, Amaya, and Ching jump out of the cart.

Sara turns to Stein. “ _Dear?_ ”

Stein blushes a bit but holds her gaze. “What would you have preferred, _Captain?_ ” Sara huffs but doesn’t argue the point.

“Good job, Grey,” Jax compliments Stein and briefly pats him on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Jefferson,” Stein says.

Mick looks over at Len, who is smiling at him, clearly pleased with how he has done, even though he says nothing. Mick smiles faintly and looks down.

“Yes, very well done, all of you,” Ching says. “Now comes the hard part.”

The camera pans up to show the Yīngxióng docked, and positively covered in British officers. Amaya frowns as she squints upward at the deck. “Who is that?” she asks and points at Queen Bee, who stands out as the only woman on deck.

Ching frowns. “I’ve never seen the British let any woman on their captured ships who wasn’t being escorted by a man.” Indeed, Queen Bee seems to be in charge rather than the other way around.

Jax spots Rip up there with her, further astern. “I don’t know, but I know who _that_ is.”

Sara curses under her breath. “Thawne and his friends are already here.”

“Who?” Ching asks.

“The people we are trying to keep the spear piece away from,” Ray explains.

“They’re still talking to people,” Sara says. “That means they don’t have the spear, yet. We can still get it before they do. We stick to the plan.”

Stein tries to argue, “Captain, I really think it would be wiser to--”

“To what?” Sara sticks out her chin. “To wait? To try and sneak back in again when we just barely cut it close this time? No. If they’re here, they’re looking, and the longer we wait the more chance we give them to get it. We need to move now.”

“I agree,” Ching says. “Your enemies seem distracted.”

Jax squints over at the ship. “Whatever we’re gonna do, we need to get started quickly, before they notice something’s wrong.”

Sara agrees. “We need to split up. Mick, Jax, Ray: you all go inside and look for the spear.” She pulls the compass out of her purse and gives it to Jax. “Amaya, Professor, you come with Madame Ching and I to look for her crew.”

**CUT TO: DECK OF YĪNGXIÓNG**

Mick, Ray, and Jax are all on the deck of the Yīngxióng, and while Jax earns a few sideways glances, for the most part, they manage to make it across the deck without gathering very much attention. Darhk is nowhere to be seen, and Queen Bee is talking to some more officers, paying little attention to anyone else. They make it down into the cargo hold without being stopped, and Jax pulls out the compass, following it around the hold.

“Y’know,” Ray starts, “It kinda reminds me of that compass that Jack Sparrow had.”

Jax snorts at the irony. “Guess it works out, then.”

Mick grumbles. “Yeah, ‘cept instead of the thing you want most, shows you your biggest pain in the a--”

Footsteps make him stop mid sentence as an all-too-familiar figure comes into view on the steps into the cargo hold in the midst of a group of Company sailors, a smirk curled across his face. “Well, well,” Darhk drawls. “Look who decided to join the party.” He nods towards the Legends, addressing the Company’s men. “Seize them.”

Mick raises the heat gun, glaring. “I wouldn’t.”

Ray gets the cold gun up a moment later, though it’s not on. “Yeah! Back off,” he says as fiercely as he can.

The soldiers keep advancing as Darhk looks on calmly. “Really, now, there’s no need for that. Tell you what--give me that compass, and you can all walk out of here alive.”

Jax huffs an amused laugh. “As if we’d give you anything.”

Darhk shrugs, nodding. “ _Or_ you can be stubborn, and I’ll pry it out of your cold, dead hands, I suppose. Doesn’t make much difference to me.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Mick growls.

Darhk simply grins.

**CUT TO: OUTSIDE OF A BUILDING**

Amaya, Sara, Stein, and Ching are all in a group along the wall of a nondescript brick building, sticking to the shadows. They all press back as they see a man getting dragged roughly toward the door. Suddenly, the man breaks loose, and starts to run despite his cuffed feet, but is quickly caught up to by the guards, who bludgeon him. Amaya looks like she’s going to interfere, but Sara holds her back, watching. The guards beat him until he goes still and drag him inside. The door closes again.

“Well, this is definitely the place,” Sara says after a long moment of silence.

Amaya looks faintly horrified. “He was cuffed! That beating was unnecessary!”

Ching, though, is unsurprised. “Such is how the British deal with their enemies,” she says, scowling. “You see now why I am so eager to get my men back.”

“We will,” Sara asserts. She looks around at their surroundings, and her eyes alight on a door back in the direction they came. She tries the handle and can hear the key rattling; the door is locked from the inside. “Madame Ching, Amaya, you two go wait by the door. Stein and I will get inside and let you in--” She is interrupted, and her attention drawn, by a blast of fire on top of the Yīngxióng, followed shortly by shouting and most of the bluecoats from nearby running towards the ship. Sara sighs.

“It seems Mr. Rory is making some friends,” Stein notes drily.

Ching scowls. “We must hurry, while they’re distracted.”

Stein looks incredulous. “We have to go to the ship. Jefferson is unarmed!”

“We can’t just leave these people here!” Amaya insists.

Sara shakes her head. “Stein’s right, we need to go to the ship. They’re not going to be able to hold off Darhk and the Company for long. Especially not if Thawne decides to show up too.” She turns to Ching. “We’ll come back for your crew, I promise.”

Ching looks like she wants to protest, but Sara is already starting off toward the ship with the others, and she knows she can’t make her way inside alone. She looks back at the building before following after them.

 **CUT TO: DECK OF** **THE YĪNGXIÓNG**

Mick, Ray, and Jax have fought their way out of the hold, and Mick is currently holding off a line of bluecoats with a steady sweep of fire, while Ray struggles to work the cold gun. Jax stands behind them both with a broomstick he grabbed on the way out. Fortunately for all of them, the guns the Company has are slow to load and the close-range attacks are being held off by the fire, for now.

“Any time now, Grey!” Jax mutters under his breath, adjusting his grip on the broom.

Mick is doing his best to talk Ray through running the cold gun as he holds off the British. “Haircut! Turn the meter forward to increase the cyclotronic velocity--”

“The what?”

“ _Make it colder!_ ” Mick snaps.

“Right!” Ray pauses. “Where’s the meter button, again?”

As Mick stares at him, Sara, Amaya, Stein, and Ching climb over the side of the ship. Sara starts beating people with her bo staff, while Amaya touches her amulet and channels the power of a rhino, charging through a line of soldiers. Ching looks stunned, but is quickly drawn back to attention when a crewman tries to attack her from behind. She spins and slashes him across the throat and starts making her own way through the British men. Darhk is standing at the helm alongside Queen Bee and Rip, all of whom are grinning.

“Would you look at that? The gang’s all here,” Darhk says. As if there’s not a fight going on below him, Darhk plows onward smoothly, knowing the Legends are at least half-paying attention. “Of course, you all know Mr. Hunter, here, but I don’t believe you have had the pleasure of meeting my new _colleague_.”

Queen Bee smirks. “Unfortunately, it won’t last very long, since you’ll all be dead soon.”

Darhk laughs. “Well, there is that.”

Queen Bee draws her swords. “I think it’s time we get to have a little fun, don’t you, Damien? You know what they say about all work and no play.”

“I think you’re right,” Darhk agrees, drawing his own blades.

Queen Bee’s cape turns into dragonfly-like wings, and she sweeps down across the deck, narrowly dodging a blast from the heat gun, as Darhk jumps down from the helm and starts across the deck toward Sara. The camera pans across the deck. Jax is doing an admirable job of holding off some of the British who have managed to get around the fire, bashing them with the broomstick, and Stein is trying to blend in, still in uniform, to make it over to Jax so they can fuse. Ching is fighting off the British easily. Ray is still struggling with the cold gun, despite Mick’s trying to talk him through it. Amaya is switching from one creature to another quickly, knocking entire groups of British men off their feet at once.

**CUT TO: SARA AND DARHK**

Darhk is standing in front of Sara, sword at the ready. “We really do have to stop meeting like this, Miss Lance.”

“Pick the winning side for once and maybe we won’t have to,” Sara snarks back.

Darhk grins sharply and they start fighting in a whirl of metal, League of Assassins-style.

**CUT TO: RIP AND AMAYA**

Amaya flings a Company sailor off the helm, which she’s fought her way up to, and down onto the deck below, where he groans. She turns, only to come face to face with Rip, who has his pistol drawn. Amaya leaps out of the way before he gets a chance to fire and kicks, sending the revolver spinning across the deck. Rip draws a sword instead, and Amaya starts trying to reason with him. “Mr. Hunter, I’ve heard of you.You were the Waverider’s captain. What are you doing? Why are you with them? You should be on your ship, with your crew, helping us,” she says slowly, placatingly.

Rip tilts his head. “You could say my priorities have changed. Why protect the timeline when disrupting it is so much more _fun?_ ”

Amaya and Rip fight.

**CUT TO: JAX**

Jax is just finishing fighting off some British sailors and is following the direction of the compass, which is pointing towards the bow of the ship, when Queen Bee lands in front of him, all smiles. Her amulet glows as he raises the broomstick to swing at her.

“Oh, you don’t want to do that,” Queen Bee simpers. Jax’s swing stops, halfway, and she chuckles. “ _Good boy_. You want to go attack your team, not me.” She makes a shooing motion with her hands. “Go on.”

Jax starts toward Ray and away from nearby Stein, ready to swing at him, but Ray turns with the cold gun as he finally gets it charged up, and in his enthusiasm hits Jax on the temple, sending the kid straight to the ground. Ray pauses. “...Oops.”

“Great job, Haircut!” Mick snaps. He backs toward Jax, standing over him protectively and torching anyone who tries to come near.

Ray squeezes the trigger on the cold gun and starts blasting at the British. Most of his shots miss, at first, but finally he hits someone, and he turns to Mick triumphantly. “I got one!”

Mick has the misfortune of turning toward him just enough, with the heat gun still on, to cross streams as Ray accidentally fires the cold gun again. Both Ray and Mick get blasted backward, and Mick hits a railing, a cut appearing on his temple.

**CUT TO: SARA AND DARHK**

Sara has Darhk pinned to the deck, but the man is still smiling up at her, even as she presses with her staff against his throat.

“You’re not going to kill me, Miss Lance. You had the chance before. You need me alive, for some reason. You need me to take everything from you.”

“Shut up,” Sara snarls.

Darhk wheezes out a laugh. “Take a look around. Notice anything?” Sara glances around the deck and realizes that half of her crew is out of commission. Amaya and Rip are still fighting, and Ching is still holding her own against the Brits, but Mick and Ray are struggling to their feet, guns damaged, and Jax is out cold. Stein is trying to make his way over to Jax, but has made little progress in all the chaos.

Darhk leers. “For all your trying, you’re _still_ not good enough.”

Sara glowers down at him and presses down enough to cut off his air, for the moment. She raises her voice across the deck. “Fall back!”

Mick and a dazed Ray get to their feet and grab the still-unconscious Jax, who Stein has been trying to make his way over to. Amaya and Ching help protect them, and they all retreat as one. Stein, in the British uniform and unarmed, is lost in the crowd of other sailors, and loathe to draw attention to himself and get Darhk, Rip, or Queen Bee to turn on him, watches them flee and shrinks back into the ranks of the other bluecoats, looking faintly terrified. Fade out.

**CUT TO: DECK OF YĪNGXIÓNG**

Queen Bee, Darhk, and Rip are on the deck. Queen Bee is cleaning herself up in a pocket mirror, as Rip addresses the commander, Darhk pacing silently behind him.

Rip is fuming. “You let them get away.”

“We didn’t try to,” the commander defends himself, clearly uneasy. “They had weapons like we’ve never seen before! Weapons that could shoot fire and ice, not rounds!”

“Did I ask for an excuse?” Rip snarls.

“No, sir,” the commander replies.

“You let the world’s most wanted pirate slip through your fingers, on your own base, along with her allies,” Rip says, slowly, dangerously. “Correct me, if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that the _Honourable East India Company_ was meant to be amongst the most fearsome forces on the planet. It seems to me that you lot are absolutely _useless._ ”

The commander swallows. “Our weapons were no match for theirs.”

“Your _numbers_ were more than a match!” Rip shouts. The commander flinches. “Enough so that they retreated. But you were so inept that you could not get your hands on them.”

“We did our best,” the commander stutters.

“Your _best_ was not good enough!” Rip’s voice echoes across the Outpost.

Queen Bee finally rolls her eyes and pulls herself away from the mirror, plasters on a smile and turns to the commander. She sidles up, dragging a hand down his arm and getting his attention. Her amulet starts glowing. “We’re very disappointed. But I think you can fix that for us, can’t you?”

The commander’s eyes go a bit glassy. “Y--yes, of course,” he slurs.

Darhk approaches to stand at Queen Bee’s shoulder. “I think it would be a _wonderful_ idea to go attack the ship of the Legends and their little pirate friend, don’t you?”

Queen Bee smiles maliciously. “Yes, I think so. Wouldn’t you agree, Commander?”

A stupid grin spreads on the commander’s face. “Yes. Anything you say.”

Queen Bee pats his cheek, her voice going condescending, as if she were talking to a dog. “Very good. Now, run along and give the order.”

The commander does as he is told and runs off. Darhk looks at Queen Bee with a mixture of respect and faint concern.

“It really is that easy for you, isn’t it?” he muses.

Queen Bee smirks and tosses her hair over one shoulder. “He’s a _man_ , Damien. They’re always easy.”

**CUT TO: CHING’S SHIP, BELOW DECK**

Len is standing beside Mick, an amused expression on his face. “Well, at least I won’t have to be worried about _Raymond_ of all people replacing me. _You_ handle my gun better, Mick, and ice isn’t your element at all.”

“Be quiet,” Mick whispers under his breath.

Ching angrily points her finger at the Legends. “You promised me that your weapons would be sufficient enough to take on the British.”

Sara crosses her arms, but not to oppose Ching. “They would have been plenty, if _those two_ had just done what they were supposed to.” She glares furiously at Ray and Mick. “What the _hell_ were you thinking?”

Ray avoids her eyes and instead looks down at the floor. “I was just trying to help.”

“And how did that work out for you?” Sara asks. “Now Stein is stuck on that ship with Darhk and some very angry British sailors, we don’t have the Spear, _and_ Thawne’s lackeys know we’re here! You could have gotten someone killed! And _you._ ” She turns to Mick. “Why the _hell_ would you give _Ray_ the cold gun? He’s never used it before a day in his life, but you decided that _now_ would be the perfect time to teach him?!”

Mick shrugs. “What else was I gonna do? He needed _something_ . Haircut here couldn’t hold his own in a fight against a _sponge_ , let alone an army!”

“That’s not your call, Mick!” Sara says. Len smirks over Sara’s shoulder. “Ooh, boy, look at her _go_. ‘Captain’ indeed. Where was this strength when Rip was making those horrible calls?”

She is starting to look worried. “First the thing at the tavern, now this…”

“It’s not like I’m the best at making good choices,” Mick mumbles without really meeting her eyes.

Sara watches him, frowning. “...we’ll talk about this after the mission.”

Mick silently looks at the floor.

Ching puts her hands on her hips. “They jeopardized your mission and your crew. They must be punished.”

Sara looks taken aback. “All due respect, Madam Ching, they are part of _my_ crew, and I will deal with them myself.”

“I offered you that chance before, and obviously you did not take it,” Ching says. “They will not respect you if you do not make them.”

“Oh, they _will._ ” Sara turns to glower at them before turning back to Madam Ching. “We have resources aboard our ship that will help in our next attack.”

Ching raises her brows in surprise. “ _Next_ attack? I trusted you once, and you failed. As I said, a post of the East India Company is not to be trifled with. And you want to go after them again?”

“We still need the Spear, and you still need your ship and crew back,” Sara points out. “I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it. Just give us a few hours to make a better plan.”

Jax pipes up. “I think I know where the Spear piece is. Somewhere so obvious, Thawne’s lackeys haven’t even considered it.”

“The bowsprit,” Sara realizes, remembering the direction Jax had been led by the compass. She turns to Ching. “We know where everything we need is, now. We only have to get it.”

“And if you should fail again?” Ching narrows her eyes.

“Then we will all have bigger problems on our hands,” Sara says.

At that moment, Pao rushes in, looking harried. “I fear we already do,” he says.

“What is it?” Ching asks.

“Word that the East India Company is preparing their ships for battle,” Pao says. “Against _us_.”

Ching straightens her back. “When?”

“Within the next few hours, our contacts say.” Pao looks deep into his wife’s eyes. “They will be coming to us.”

Ching shakes her head. “No. We will not remain here waiting for an ambush.” She turns to Sara. “It seems, thanks to you, we now have little choice in another attack, and as much as I would like to punish you for putting my men in jeopardy, I fear we do still need your help. I will send for some of my nearby ships to prepare. You go retrieve your own resources. This ship will be heading for open waters in three hours, Captain Lance, and I expect you and your crew to be on it.”

Sara nods. “We will. We won’t let you down again.”

**CUT TO: AMAYA’S QUARTERS**

Amaya is sitting in her room with the door open, staring silently at the screens Gideon has pulled up for her. It’s a condensed version of British Empire as far as its role on the world stage. There are images and articles of the Opium Wars, the Boer concentration camps, the Amritsar massacre, the starvation of Bengal, the subjugation of Iraq, and much more. Gideon has taken care to not present her with anything from past World War II, but nevertheless, even what Amaya sees is horrifying.

Sara walks in, pausing for a moment as she glances at the screens before looking back at Amaya. “Gideon,” she says, and the screens disappear.

Amaya turns to look at Sara, her expression stuck somewhere between sadness and anger. “When the British came to Zambezi, I did not want to go with them. I did not trust them, I wanted to stay and protect my people, until they proved what atrocities the Nazis were committing.” She shakes her head. “I did know what they had done. They are not just the protectors they claimed to be. They have taken advantage of other countries, other people. You saw the opium den. They are crippling a nation, for what? For money?” She frowns, shaking her head. “I know… I _know_ that I was fighting with the JSA for the right side. The Nazis needed to be defeated. But… there were little things. Orders we weren’t supposed to question or argue with or ignore. I know innocents get hurt in war, but what if there were some that didn’t need to but whose deaths were seen as useful for _after?_ ”

Sara leans against the doorway, looking sympathetic. “It wouldn’t be your fault.”

“Whose would it be?” Amaya replies miserably. “If you know what’s right, you’re supposed to do it. No matter what. You had no problem arguing with Rex when you thought he was wrong. How can you say I shouldn’t have done the same?”

“Listen, in my time, we were practically raised to question authority, give them hell for any decision we’re not sure about, make them defend themselves. But during World War 2, in your time, things were different. You know that. People wanted to do whatever they needed to do to finish the war.”

“Do you think I could look someone’s family in the eyes and tell them that?”

Sara is silent for a moment before speaking again. “I can’t tell you how you should feel—and there’s no one way you _should_ feel. All I can do is help you find out what you want to know. Remember that you were part of a team that cared about you, then, regardless of what they may not have told you, and you’re part of a team that cares now. The crew and I are here for you Amaya. As friends.”

Amaya smiles and starts to say something, but the two are interrupted by Gideon speaking up. “Captain Lance, Miss Jiwe--you are wanted on the bridge.”

**CUT TO: WAVERIDER BRIDGE**

“I’m glad it looks like Thawne’s not actually here too,” Jax says, “but their new player is a lot more dangerous than you might think. Gideon?”

“Queen Bee of Bialya,” Gideon starts and brings up pictures and news reports on her screens. “She is a warlord who overthrew the rightful leader of Bialya and then declared herself Queen. Mari McCabe, the Vixen of the early 21st century, has been interfering with her plans enough to stop her rise to power for now, but Queen Bee has her eyes set on reclaiming a throne that was never rightfully hers. Like the Vixen, Queen Bee uses a mystical amulet to give herself powers. Hers specifically lets her control people’s minds, or even brainwash them.”

“That’s what they must have done to Rip,” Sara says.

“She mind controlled me a bit earlier, but I snapped out of it when Ray hit me over the head,” Jax adds.

“That’s not going to do it for Rip,” Amaya says, brows furrowed. “I punched him in the face a couple times, but he’s still under her control.”

“She’s had time to work on him,” Jax points out. “All she could do to me was tell me what to do and I had to follow that order.” He shudders.

Sara nods and puts her hand on his shoulder. “We can’t let her get in a word when we go up against them and the British.”

Amaya furrows her brows further. “I know we have to get Professor Stein and the spear, and I know you promised Madame Ching to help her, but if the British are meant to destroy Ching’s fleet, there’s nothing we can do to stop them without endangering the timeline,” she warns. “Sara, we can’t interfere here.”

Sara looks thoughtful, but Gideon interrupts before she can come up with an answer. “I would advise that you do, though, Ms Jiwe!”

Sara frowns. “Why is that, Gideon?”

Gideon puts pages from history books up on the screen for them to see. “In the original timeline, Shí Xiānggū, also known as Ching Shih or Madame Ching, is one of the few people to successfully retire from piracy. She outfights Qing and the British forces, and after suffering a series of defeats to her mighty fleet in late 1809 and 1810, Madame Ching and her husband Pao take an amnesty offer, and retire that same year. Madame Ching keeps her loot and goes on to open a gambling house. She dies peacefully in her sleep in 1844.”

“And if the British attack today?” Jax asks.

The image on the screen changes. “Madame Ching dies. Pao tries his best to oppose the British, but is eventually unable to keep the fleet under his control. He too falls in battle before the end of the year, leaving the pirate captains of the region disorganized. The British have little trouble hunting them down one by one. The long term effects on the region are disastrous.”

**CUT TO: WAVERIDER MEDBAY**

Mick comes in to treat the cut to his forehead. He finds Ray already inside, staring at a syringe in his hands.

“What’re you doing here, Ray?” Mick asks. “Didn’t see you get hurt.”

“I didn’t,” Ray says, startled that he suddenly is not alone anymore. “I--”

Mick eyes the syringe. “What’ve you got there?”

Ray sighs and holds up the syringe. It is filled with a bright pink liquid. “The technical term is, unfortunately, a super challenging tongue twister. But it’s basically a sort-of Super Soldier Serum.” He sees Mick’s face and continues to explain, “I started working on it way back, after Rip left us. I wanted to create something to maybe cure Nate’s hemophilia, but he left before I got anywhere. I kept working on it though. From what I can tell it still doesn’t do anything about hemophilia. But… I think it might give me superpowers.”

Mick stares at him. “You think--what are you saying, Haircut?”

Ray takes a deep breath. “I’m going to Captain America myself.”

Mick raises his eyebrows. “Remember how that went for Bruce Banner?”

Ray shrugs. “It’s either that, or find a radioactive spider, but those powers only really work when you’ve got lots of high buildings to swing across, and we don’t actually see many of those most of the places we go.”

Mick shakes his head. “Don’t do it, Ray,” he says.

“But you said it yourself,” Ray says. “I can’t hold my own in a fight. I don’t know how to use the Cold Gun. I can’t fix my suit… Right now, I’m useless to this team.”

“Who gave you your suit, Haircut?” Mick asks. Ray looks up at him and blinks, confused. “That’s right - nobody did. You built it yourself because you’re smart. Look at all the stuff you came up with just trying to figure out who you want to be.” He awkwardly jabs his finger at Ray’s chest. “That’s your power. That’s how you’re a hero. You’re the most resourceful guy I know. You figure stuff out, and you never give up. You don’t need a suit, or a weapon, or superpowers for that.”

It makes Ray smile and his eyes gleam, and he is close to actually blushing. He looks at the syringe still in his hand and drops it in the nearest garbage can. Behind him, Len leans against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes on Mick. He also smiles, but it is a sad smile.

Mick meets Len’s gaze briefly, a short jab of pain in his eyes. He quickly turns to return Ray’s grin. “Now, help me with this,” Mick says and gestures at his injury. Suddenly he remembers something. “Oh, and give me back the Cold Gun. It’s mine now, and you better _never_ touch my stuff again.”

**CUT TO: CHING’S SHIP, ABOVE DECK**

Ching musters the remaining Legends as they once again board her ship. Ray is carrying several scrolls of paper, and books from the Waverider’s library. Around them, her crew is busy preparing to set sails and leave their stronghold. Other ships around them are making similar preparations. One of the pirates spots Jax and immediately starts to grin. “Jack Sparrow!” he greets him. “You must teach me the rest of that song! The men love it!” Jax grins, but signals him to wait until later.

“You came back, Captain Lance, which speaks for your loyalty, ” Madame Ching greets them, “but where are those resources and weapons you promised us?”

Sara smirks confidently. “Trust me, Madame Ching, we have more than enough.”

Ching looks disappointed. Her hand goes to her sword. “I trusted you before, Captain, and so far it has brought me nothing but trouble. Your weapons and powers alone did little to improve our chances against the British, and I doubt they will do much in the fight to come. I have half a mind to execute you right now for your deceit!”

Sara holds Ching’s gaze. Her smile is almost gone, but her confidence isn’t. Finally she nods. “Gideon!” she calls out.

Above their heads, the Waverider decloaks, its engines whirring. Several of the pirates stumble away in fear, but not Ching. If anything, she looks pleased, fascinated.

One corner of Ching’s mouth pulls into a wicked half-smile. “That should do it.”

The other Legends visibly relax. Sara waves up at the Waverider and Gideon turns the ship invisible again. They all spread across the ship’s deck, checking if they can make themselves useful, but Ching grabs a hold of Ray’s sleeve to stop him. She looks him over. “First you bring that wondrous ice weapon, and now you have books, but don’t even carry a sword? How are you going to fight?”

Ray shoots a glance at Mick, who gives him what is probably supposed to be a reassuring expression. “I’m gonna fight with my head,” Ray says.

Ching smacks her lips. “Uh-uh,” she says and hands him one of her swords. “You sail under my flag, you must know how to defend yourself. Come, I’ll show you a couple simple moves.” Ray is surprised and looks at Mick, who gives him a thumbs-up. “O-okay,” Ray stammers as she drags him aside.

**CUT TO: DECK OF THE YĪNGXIÓNG**

Stein has quietly shed his officer’s uniform and is instead dressed in the clothes of an average Company sailor, and is doing his best to blend in with the rest of the crew. They are all worried about preparing the ship for battle, and don’t seem to notice that there is an unfamiliar face in their midst. He’s doing his very best to try and _look_ like he’s doing something useful while actually doing nothing. Darhk, Rip, and Queen Bee are surveying the scene. Darhk looks pensive. Something had struck him as off, earlier, but he’s not sure quite _what_.

“Mr. Hunter, how many people were in your little crew?”

“Six, not including myself.”

Darhk frowns faintly. “I see. And how many left this ship?”

“Six.”

“Including the pirate woman.”

Realization dawns on Queen Bee and Rip.

“Someone’s still here,” Queen Bee breathes, slowly breaking into a smile. “What do you say we find out who?” Her amulet starts to glow, but Darhk holds up a hand, smirking.

“No, no. Let’s find out the old-fashioned way. What do you say we go hunting?”

Stein, who was lingering by the door to the interior of the ship underneath the helm, pales, and rushes off to hide.

**CUT TO: DECK OF CHING’S SHIP**

Ching is at the helm, Sara is standing beside her. Both have a look of determination on their faces as they stare at the British fleet ahead. Amaya is holding onto the rigging as she leans out over the rail. Jax and Mick also lean out to get a better look at the fleet, but remain on deck. Mick notices Len do the same on the other side of the ship.

**CUT TO: BELOW DECK OF CHING’S SHIP**

Pao and Ray are standing around a table covered over and over in Ray’s scrolls and books and look through them. Pao suddenly spots something in a book and energetically jabs his finger at the page to get Ray’s attention. Ray follows his gaze and his eyes widen. “That’s it!” he shouts. He grabs the book and he and Pao sprint back on deck.

“Pao and I found a weakness!” Ray shouts, grabbing Ching’s attention. “Madame Ching,” he says, “if your men fire exactly where we tell them to, the British ships won’t stand a chance.”

Pao grins beside him. “I’ll instruct our crew and signal the other ships!” Ching nods, her eyes gleaming.

“Whatever you do,” Sara shouts after Ray, who has run off with Pao, “Do not sink the Yīngxióng!”

 **CUT TO: BELOW** **DECK OF THE YĪNGXIÓNG**

The camera follows Stein as he runs down a corridor, hearing footsteps behind him. He looks over his shoulder, and the camera focuses in on where he’s looking. While Queen Bee and Darhk aren’t yet in sight, their shadows play across the wall as the woman calls out. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. Make things easier on yourself.”

Darhk laughs.“We’ll still kill you, of course. Just _quicker_. Small mercies.”

The camera pans back to Stein’s face, which goes impossibly paler, and he speeds up, slipping into the hold, which is filled with barrels, crates, and rope-lined shelves to keep things in place Stein glances around before crawling over a few boxes to slip behind a collection of tarp-covered barrels, wedging himself between them carefully under the tarp and clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing as footsteps are heard entering the hold.

The camera focuses on Darhk and Queen Bee. Darhk gestures for her to go one way while he starts off in another, investigating any possible hiding spots and a few improbable ones, like in the crates, besides.

Darhk starts talking again, a smirk on his lips. “Let’s figure out who we’re looking for, shall we? The pirate woman left. Miss Lance. The pyromaniac. The woman with the amulet. The young scientist. The kid. But I didn’t see his other half. So that leaves us with the old man, hiding down here.”

Camera does a brief cut to Stein looking indignant, despite the situation, before cutting to Queen Bee.

“Unfortunately for him, he won’t be getting much older.” She starts moving quicker through the little aisles of goods. “You can’t play hide and seek forever,” she calls. “We’re going to find you. Come out.” Her voice has taken on a different tone, something sweeter, more hypnotic. Stein starts to pull his hand away before shaking himself off and keeping it there, her hypnotism less effective without eye contact. She huffs when there’s no visible movement, tone going dark again. “Suit yourself. Just know you’re going to pay for every second I have to spend down here.”

Both villains are slowly closing in on Stein’s hiding spot, and he’s gone very, very still as the footsteps get louder. Suddenly, there’s a shout from upstairs, and Darhk and Queen Bee snap their heads toward the door to listen, stopping in their tracks.

“Commodore! We found them! But they’re not alone!” shouts a sailor from above.

Queen Bee and Darhk scowl. “Legends,” they hiss in unison.

Darhk turns to glance around the hold. “Leave him here. If he stays, we come find him afterward. If he leaves, he gets to watch his friends die.”

Both pause only another moment before heading back out. Stein drops his hand, letting out a breath and leaning back against the barrel for a moment until he can hear their footsteps disappear up the stairs at the end of the corridor.

The camera pans out to show the ships closing in on each other, flanked by their respective squadrons. It is about to go down.

On board Ching’s ship, Pao, Ray and Mick stand gathered around a cannon in anticipation, just waiting for the British to get in range to shoot. On the other side, the British soldiers are similarly waiting.

Almost simultaneously, Pao and the British commander shout, “FIRE!” And all hell breaks loose.

Soon the air is filled with gunpowder and smoke. Cannonballs whizz through the air and smash through wood and sails.

Mick ducks just in time as the railing beside him shatters and explodes into splinters. He looks up to see Len enjoying the pirate battle way more than he probably should.

Ray and Pao cheer when one of their shots hits a ship hard and it promptly stops firing.

Sara assesses the situation. She is not pleased. Their ships are doing some damage, but the British are more heavily armed and have already done significant damage to the ships under Ching’s command. “This is no good,” Sara says. “We have to get on that ship! Pao! Bring us closer!”

Ching’s eyes gleam with delight as Pao turns the ship around.

The camera pans out; Ching’s ship and the Yīngxióng set themselves apart from their respective squadrons and pull up alongside each other. As soon as they are lined up, grappling hooks fly across the gap between them from both sides.

“Ray, you help Gideon!” Sara shouts before she swings herself across. “The rest of you come with me!” Ray nods before he quickly sprints up to the ship’s stern and jumps off the rail and into the Waverider’s open cargo hatch, which closes behind him. The Waverider proceeds to fire at the British ships while still cloaked, making it seem like the pirates’ cannonballs do all the damage.

Ching abandons the helm and follows the Legends to the other ship, where Sara is already parrying sword strokes from several British soldiers. Mick and Jax try to get to the Yīngxióng’s bow and get the spear piece, but Rip and Darhk step into their way, sword and flintlock pistols at the ready. Amaya is just about to jump across, when a very angry Queen Bee intercepts her and knocks her back on the deck of Ching’s ship.

Queen Bee advances on Amaya, rolling her neck. “Neat little necklace you’ve got there. Too bad it won’t do you any good.”

Amaya narrows her eyes. “Is that so? Seems to me it’ll be as easy to take you out as it was the Company’s men.”

“The Company’s men are useless,” Queen Bee sniffs. “And besides, they don’t have anything you want.”

Amaya laughs. “And you do?”

“Mmhm. You see, I know who you are, Amaya Jiwe,” Queen Bee says, stepping closer. “And I know what happens to you.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Even as she says the words, Amaya looks curious.

“Oh, but you do. So _tragic_ , really, about your village. But then again, you should be used to things not going your way by now.”

Amaya does her best to ignore Queen Bee, though it’s clear that the implications bother her. “I’d be more concerned about my own future, if I were you,” she snaps.

“I am. That’s why I’m here. You want to protect your people, _Vixen_ , I just want to do the same for mine. Join us and we can help you. You can prevent everything.”

“No. I would never join you.”

Queen Bee sneers. “Suit yourself.” She swings her blade at Amaya, and the two begin fighting.

**CUT TO: DECK OF THE YĪNGXIÓNG**

Mick and Jax are in a standoff with Rip and Darhk.

Rip squares off with Mick. “I was right, deciding to grab you and Snart together back in 2016. God knows you would’ve been useless without him, and he’d have been insufferable without you.” Mick’s eyes flash, and Rip laughs. “Touchy subject?” he mocks. “Can’t imagine why--looked to me like you were trying to replace him earlier--great choice, by the way. You couldn’t possibly have picked someone worse--I think the average five year old would have had better luck with the cold gun than Doctor Palmer.” Mick snarls and in lieu of firing the heat gun, moves in for a good punch, which Rip narrowly dodges.

Darhk looks delighted at the promise of a fight as he circles Jax. “Really now, did we not beat you badly enough last time?” His eyes fall on Jax’s sword and he smirks. “Found something more substantial than a broomstick at least, I see. Won’t help you, though.” Darhk makes as if to move in against Jax, but as he does, Stein, who has silently been creeping up behind Rip and Darhk, bashes him in the back of the head, sending Darhk to the ground.

Jax grins. “Nice one, Grey!” The two step together and fuse into FIRESTORM, taking off across the deck and blasting at nearby British ships.

Sara is trying to fight her way toward the bowsprit where the Spear piece is, but is surrounded by about fifteen bluecoats, and every time she takes one out, someone new takes their place.

Ray leaves the Waverider and joins the battle to help clear her path, since he doesn’t want to be blasting a hole where she needs to be walking, and manages to use a few of the moves Ching taught him to take out some of the Brits.

Sara starts towards the bowsprit, and Ray seems pleased with himself before he’s suddenly sailing off to the side, a now-conscious and very unhappy Darhk stalking after him. “You think you can fight now, after a few hours’ practice? I’ve had centuries!”

Ray gets to his feet, holding a hand against his ribs, and valiantly holds his ground.

Ching comes from seemingly nowhere and stands alongside him, and Darhk raises a brow, laughing. “What, you think she’s going to protect you from _me_?”

Ray glares. “At least we’re better than your… your… your stupid _Legion of Doom!”_ Darhk stares at him for a long moment, seemingly torn between confusion and laughter.

Len winces. “ _Ouch_.”

Darhk moves in, and Ching and Ray start sword fighting with him, coordinating surprisingly well together.

Ching’s ships are blasting the Company ships, and the presence of FIRESTORM seems to be confusing the latter group. In a confused panic, the Company fires at the Yīngxióng rather than Ching’s ship. The impact rocks beneath the Legends and the Legion, nearly throwing Sara, who’s leaning out toward the bowsprit, off the ship. But she clings on, and manages to get her hands on the Spear piece.

Rip is retreating a bit, after having been beaten soundly by Mick (and very nearly torched). Suddenly Len shouts, “Mick! Watch out behind you!” Mick spins around just in time to punch the Company sailor coming up behind him, dazing the man. An uppercut has him out cold the next moment, and Mick tosses a ‘thanks’ in Len’s direction, earning a concerned glance from Ray.

Darhk tries to take advantage of the distraction, but FIRESTORM blasts him backwards.

Since the Legends found out what Queen Bee can do, Amaya has not been letting her get a word in edgewise to try and hypnotise her. She’s been channeling a lion throughout the fight, and as she sees Darhk and Rip fall, she glances over at them, also drawing Queen Bee’s attention to them. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, she knocks the woman out cold with a blow to the head.

The Company ships that had accompanied the Yīngxióng are retreating, terrified by both the pirates and the strange weapons they’re seeing. More pirates board the Yīngxióng, and the Company starts surrendering despite Rip’s shouts for them to keep fighting. Darhk sees that the fight is lost. He takes a device from his pocket and presses a button.

There’s a blur of red lightning on deck, and suddenly Rip, Queen Bee, and Darhk are gone.

The Legends and PIRATES cheer as one as the Yīngxióng is reclaimed.

**CUT TO: DECK OF CHING’S SHIP**

Ching’s crew is bustling about, repairing damage. Jax is laughing with his pirate buddy from earlier and waves Ray over to join them. “Help us out, Ray, I can’t remember the last verse…” The camera pans over to where Ching and Pao are standing at the helm with the other Legends.

“While the Company was directing its attention here,” Pao says, “we were able to send in some friends on land to free the crew members they took with the Yīngxióng.”

Ching smiles at Sara. “You have, much to my surprise, managed to fulfill all your promises. I have my ship, and my crew. And you have your spear.”

Sara nods, smiling faintly. “Yes. We both got what we wanted.”

Ray steps forward, nodding at Ching. “Thank you for teaching me how to fight. I guess pirates are still the best after all.”

“...You’re welcome,” Ching says after a moment, looking confused but deciding not to question him about it. “You learned quickly. And thank all of you, for helping me get my crew and my ship back.”

There’s a smattering of nods and ‘you’re welcome’s from the Legends.

Ching continues. “On top of that, the battle has earned us another Company ship. We wish to christen it in your honor.”

The Legends all glance at each other before speaking as one. “The Waverider.”

“The Waverider it is,” Ching smiles. She steps forward, shaking Sara’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure. Perhaps we will see each other again, someday.” She looks around at the rest of the Legends. “I wish you all the best of luck on your journey home.”

The Legends head toward their Waverider, and are about to get on board when Ching calls out again. “Oh, and one more thing.”

They turn expectantly.

“Those enemies of yours.” She smiles sharply. “Crush them.”

Sara laughs. “We will.”

The Waverider’s doors close, and the team all settle into their seats. The camera watches the Waverider lift off and disappear into a wormhole, the end credit music begins rolling as the screen fades to black…

And then the music grinds to a halt.

**CUT TO: WAVERIDER**

Sara and Stein glare incredulously at a sheepish-looking Jax and Ray. They both shout simultaneously. “You taught them _what??_ ”

**CUT TO: NEWLY-CHRISTENED PIRATE SHIP, THE WAVERIDER**

A shot from the helm. The crew are bustling about on deck, fulfilling their normal duties, but there’s something a bit out of place.

The air is filled with one song, sung slightly off-key and off-tune but still recognizable to anyone from the 21st century.

_“Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate’s life for me….”_

###  **FADE OUT**

###  **END CREDITS**


	2. Tarot

 

The tarot card for our episode by the amazing @kickingshoes on tumblr!  Check the tarot out [here](http://kickingshoes.tumblr.com/post/165312012922/art-for-the-tenth-lotrewrite-written-by), and their tumblr page [here](http://kickingshoes.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
